Keiss – Along the Cliffs to a Tower on the Edge
North of Sinclair's Bay the Caithness coast is a line of low cliffs, cut by narrow inlets, with an Iron Age broch on one headland and a ruined castle on another.
The cliff-top path between them is part of the John o' Groats Trail. It's only three and a half miles there and back, but it's rough, narrow and unfenced, and it wants a dry, still day and a steady head.
- Time
- Two and a half to three hours for the 5.5 km (3.5 miles) from the Nybster Broch car park to Keiss Castle and back. About half an hour there and back from Keiss harbour.
- The path
- An easy path to the broch, then rough and narrow clifftop walking, steep and exposed in places. Boots.
- Where to start
- The Nybster Broch car park, a small one on the seaward side of the A99, three miles north of Keiss. For the short version, park in Keiss village and walk down to the harbour.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, and not in strong wind or rain. From November to January set off by 11am.
- Dogs
- On a lead near the cliff edge and near farm animals.
- Children
- Unfenced cliffs the whole way: keep children beside you, and leave the very young at home.
- Toilets
- None at the car park.
- Before you set out
- The John o' Groats Trail warns of a risk of death from falling off cliffs along this coast. The castle is fenced off and unsafe to enter. Rough, narrow path, steep and exposed in places.
The walk
Park in the Nybster Broch car park, a small one on the seaward side of the A99, three miles north of Keiss. There are no toilets. An easy path of about a third of a mile leads out to Nybster Broch, an Iron Age roundhouse on a headland above the sea. From there the walk goes south along the cliff tops, on the line of the John o' Groats Trail. Venture North, the Caithness visitor site, gives it as 5.5 km, or three and a half miles, to Keiss Castle and back, and allows two and a half to three hours. That's slow for the distance, and it tells you what the ground is like: rough, narrow cliff-top path, steep and exposed in places, past rocky inlets and the remains of wartime defences.
Keiss Castle is a thin, broken tower standing on the very lip of the cliff. George Sinclair, the 5th Earl of Caithness, built it around the turn of the 17th century, and the family left it for Keiss House, further inland, in 1755. The ruin is fenced off and unsafe to enter, because the cliff under it is wearing away, so look from the path. The view from the north, the one you get on this walk, is the best there is. The trail's own guide is blunt about this coast: it warns of a risk of death from falling off cliffs. Keep well back from every edge and keep children beside you.
Dogs are allowed, on a lead near the edge and near farm animals. In strong wind or rain, leave it for another day. For a short version, park in Keiss village, as there is little room at the harbour, and walk down to it. From the harbour the castle is about 15 minutes along the shore. From November to January, set off from Nybster by 11am. For lunch afterwards, try the No 1 Bistro at Mackays Hotel in Wick: ring 01955 602323 for the times.
If it rains
There's no shelter on the cliffs, and wet grass and wind near an unfenced edge are the real danger. On a poor day take the short walk from Keiss harbour instead, or leave it.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is House of the Northern Gate, 11 miles away. Sleeps 18.
For further reading, before you go.